FARO's Third Quarter EPS Grows 22% to $0.22, New Orders Increase 31.2%, Sales Up 17.8% to a Record $38.4 million

LAKE MARY, Fla., Oct. 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- FARO Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: FARO) today announced results for the third quarter ended September 30, 2006. Net income for the third quarter of 2006 was approximately $3.2 million, or $0.22 per diluted share, an increase of $0.6 million compared with $2.6 million, or $0.18 per diluted share, in the third quarter of 2005. Third quarter 2006 results included pre-tax expenses of approximately $0.9 million related to follow-up on the Company's Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) internal investigation and its patent litigation.

Sales for the third quarter of 2006 were approximately $38.4 million, an increase of $5.8 million, or 17.8%, from $32.6 million in the third quarter of 2005. New order bookings for the third quarter were approximately $38.7 million, an increase of $9.2 million, or 31.2%, compared with approximately $29.5 million in the year-ago quarter. New orders increased 19.2% in the Americas to $15.5 million, from $13.0 million in the third quarter of 2005. In Europe/Africa, new orders increased 37.4% to $14.7 million from $10.7 million in the third quarter of 2005, and in Asia/Pacific, new orders increased 46.6% to $8.5 million, from $5.8 million in the third quarter of 2005.

"The Company continues to perform well and the benefits can be seen throughout the income statement and balance sheet," stated Jay Freeland, FARO President and Co-CEO. "Our top-line growth and gross margin remain on plan, and we're getting the leverage we expected from our sales and marketing organization. Market demand has accelerated growth in Europe and Asia while maintaining the strength we've seen in the Americas for the last 18 months. The end result for the third quarter is solid double-digit earnings growth and a $2.0 million increase in cash."

Gross margin for the third quarter of 2006 was approximately 58.0%, compared to 54.3% in the third quarter of 2005 and 59.3% in the second quarter of 2006. The gross margin in the third quarter of 2005 was adversely affected by a $1.6 million inventory adjustment. Compared to the second quarter of 2006, gross margin decreased slightly due to a change in sales mix.

Selling expenses as a percentage of sales were 27.6% in the third quarter of 2006, higher than 26.5% of sales in the third quarter of 2005, but better than the 30.5% in the second quarter of 2006 and the 32.0% in the first quarter of 2006.

General and administrative expenses were 14.4% of sales for the third quarter of 2006, compared with 9.7% of sales in the year ago quarter. This increase of $2.4 million over the third quarter of 2005 includes $0.4 million of incremental compensation costs, $0.3 million from operating costs in Singapore which weren't in place in the third quarter of 2005, and the previously mentioned $0.9 million from the Company's internal FCPA investigation and patent litigation.

Outlook for the Remainder of 2006

"We continue to maintain our full-year 2006 sales guidance of $150-$157 million and our gross margin range of 57-59%. Excluding the potential cost of resolution, if any, of the FCPA investigation and patent case and associated legal expenses, we expect continued net income improvement in the fourth quarter," concluded Freeland.

This press release contains forward-looking statements (within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995) that are subject to risks and uncertainties, such as statements about our plans, objectives, projections, expectations, assumptions, strategies, or future events. Statements that are not historical facts or that describe the Company's plans, objectives, projections, expectations, assumptions, strategies, or goals are forward-looking statements. In addition, words such as "may," "believes," "anticipates," "expects," "intends," "plans," "seeks," "estimates," "will," "should," "could," "projects," "forecast," "target," "goal," and similar expressions or discussions of our strategy or other intentions identify forward-looking statements. Other written or oral statements, which constitute forward-looking statements, also may be made by the Company from time to time. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to various known and unknown risks, uncertainties, and other factors that may cause actual results, performances, or achievements to differ materially from future results, performances, or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Consequently, undue reliance should not be placed on these forward-looking statements.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from what is expressed or forecasted in forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to:

      - our inability to further penetrate our customer base;
      - development by others of new or improved products, processes or
        technologies that make our products obsolete or less competitive;
      - our inability to maintain our technological advantage by developing
        new products and enhancing our existing products;
      - the cyclical nature of the industries of our customers and the
        financial condition of our customers;
      - the fact that the market potential for the CAM2 market and the
        potential adoption rate for our products are difficult to quantify and
        predict;
      - the inability to protect our patents and other proprietary rights in
        the United States and foreign countries and the assertion and ultimate
        outcome of infringement claims against us, including the pending suit
        by Hexagon's Cimcore-Romer subsidiary against us;
      - fluctuations in our operating results as a result of a number of
        factors including, but not limited to litigation brought against us,
        quality issues with our products, excess or obsolete inventory, raw
        material price fluctuations, expansion of our manufacturing capability
        and other inflationary pressures;
      - changes in gross margins due to changing product mix of product sold
        and the different gross margins on different products;
      - our inability to successfully implement the requirements of
        Restriction of use of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) and Waste Electrical
        and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) compliance into our products;
      - the effects of increased competition as a result of recent
        consolidation in the CAM2 market;
      - risks associated with expanding international operations, such as
        fluctuations in currency exchange rates, difficulties in staffing and
        managing foreign operations, political and economic instability, and
        the burdens of complying with a wide variety of foreign laws and labor
        practices;
      - our inability to continue to grow sales in the Asia-Pacific region;
      - higher than expected increases in expenses relating to our Asia
        Pacific expansion;
      - our inability to keep our financial results within our target goals as
        a result of various potential factors such as investments in potential
        acquisitions or strategic sales, product or other initiatives,
        shrinkage or other inventory losses due to product obsolescence,
        scrap, material price changes, or other reasons;
      - the loss of our co-Chief Executive Officers or other key personnel;
      - difficulties in recruiting research and development engineers and
        application engineers;
      - the failure to effectively manage our growth;
      - the loss of key suppliers and the inability to find sufficient
        alternative suppliers in a reasonable period or on commercially
        reasonable terms; and
      - the other risks detailed in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K
        and other filings from time to time with the Securities and Exchange
        Commission.

Forward-looking statements in this release represent the Company's judgment as of the date of this release. The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.

About FARO

With more than 13,000 installations and 5,700 customers globally, FARO Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: FARO) designs, develops and markets portable, computerized measurement devices and software used to create digital models - or to perform evaluation and analysis against an existing model - for anything requiring highly detailed 3-D measurements. Applications include part and assembly inspection, reverse-engineering, factory planning and asset documentation, as well as specialized applications ranging from surveying, recreating accident sites and crime scenes to digitally preserving historical sites. FARO's technology increases productivity by dramatically reducing the amount of on-site measuring time, and the various industry-specific software packages enable users to process and present their results quickly and more effectively. Principal products include the world's best-selling measurement arm - the Platinum, Titanium, Advantage and Digital Template FaroArms; the world's best-selling laser tracker - the FARO Laser Tracker X and Xi; the FARO Laser Scanner LS; the FARO Gage, Gage-PLUS and PowerGAGE; the FARO Laser ScanArm; the FARO TrackArm; and the CAM2 Measure family of advanced CAD-based measurement and reporting software. FARO Technologies is ISO 9001 certified and ISO-17025 laboratory registered.



                     FARO TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                        CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME
                                   (UNAUDITED)

                                  Three Months Ended       Nine Months Ended
    (in thousands, except per     Sep 30,      Oct 1,     Sep 30,      Oct 1,
     share data)                    2006        2005        2006        2005
    SALES                         $38,365     $32,598    $108,463     $91,109
    COST OF SALES (exclusive
     of depreciation and
     amortization, shown
     separately below)             16,121      14,913      44,822      37,691
    Gross profit                   22,244      17,685      63,641      53,418

    OPERATING EXPENSES:
      Selling                      10,597       8,631      32,458      25,654
      General and administrative    5,519       3,169      18,296      11,005
      Depreciation and amortization 1,023         967       3,096       2,447
      Research and development      1,741       1,864       5,390       4,824

      Total operating expenses     18,880      14,631      59,240      43,930

    INCOME FROM OPERATIONS          3,364       3,054       4,401       9,488

    OTHER INCOME (EXPENSE)
      Interest income                 189         116         516         419
      Other (expense) income, net     153        (191)        440        (330)
      Interest expense                 (3)         (4)         (9)        (83)
    INCOME BEFORE INCOME TAX        3,703       2,975       5,348       9,494

    INCOME TAX EXPENSE                514         360         810       1,498

    NET INCOME                     $3,189      $2,615      $4,538      $7,996

    NET INCOME PER SHARE -
     BASIC                          $0.22       $0.18       $0.32       $0.56

    NET INCOME PER SHARE -
     DILUTED                        $0.22       $0.18       $0.31       $0.56


    Basic EPS Shares           14,326,357  14,247,089  14,333,775  14,169,733

    Effect of dilutive
     securities                   176,953     182,862     180,372     194,195


    Diluted EPS Shares         14,503,310  14,429,951  14,514,147  14,363,928



                    FARO TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                           CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
                                   (UNAUDITED)

                                                September 30,     December 31,
    (in thousands, except share data)                2006             2005
    ASSETS
    Current Assets:
      Cash and cash equivalents                     $8,948            $9,278
      Short-term investments                        15,790            16,490
      Accounts receivable, net                      36,866            28,654
      Inventories                                   26,132            28,650
      Deferred income taxes, net                     2,765             2,155
      Prepaid expenses and other current assets      4,478             2,200
        Total current assets                        94,979            87,427
    Property and Equipment:
      Machinery and equipment                        8,684             6,940
      Furniture and fixtures                         3,696             3,334
      Leasehold improvements                         2,436             1,710
         Property and equipment at cost             14,816            11,984
      Less: accumulated depreciation and
       amortization                                 (8,056)           (5,920)
         Property and equipment, net                 6,760             6,064
    Goodwill                                        16,831            14,574
    Intangible assets, net                           6,276             6,395
    Service Inventory                                5,709             4,333
    Deferred income taxes, net                       3,503             3,855
    Total Assets                                  $134,058          $122,648
    LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS' EQUITY
    Current Liabilities:
      Accounts payable                              $9,264           $12,301
      Accrued liabilities                            8,407             5,569
      Income taxes payable                           2,140             1,406
      Current portion of unearned service revenues   3,969             3,168
      Customer deposits                                562               201
      Current portion of long-term debt and
       obligations under capital leases                110               163
         Total current liabilities                  24,452            22,808
    Unearned service revenues - less
     current portion                                 2,713               803
    Deferred tax liability, net                      1,200                 -
    Long-term debt and obligations under
     capital leases - less current portion             163               177
    Total Liabilities                               28,528            23,788
    Commitments and contingencies

    Shareholders' Equity:
      Common stock - par value $.001,
       50,000,000 shares authorized;
       14,516,618 and 14,481,178 issued;
       14,368,940 and 14,290,917
       outstanding, respectively                        14                14
      Additional paid-in-capital                    84,439            83,940
      Retained earnings                             21,795            17,256
      Accumulated other comprehensive (loss)          (567)           (2,199)
      Common stock in treasury, at cost -
       40,000 shares                                  (151)             (151)
    Total shareholders' equity                     105,530            98,860
    Total Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity    $134,058          $122,648



                     FARO TECHNOLOGIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES
                      CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
                                   (UNAUDITED)

    (in thousands)                                     Nine Months Ended
                                                Sep 30, 2006       Oct 1, 2005
    CASH FLOWS FROM:
    OPERATING ACTIVITIES:
      Net income                                    $4,538             $7,996
      Adjustments to reconcile net income
       to net cash used in operating activities:
         Depreciation and amortization               3,096              2,447
         Amortization of stock options and
          restricted stock units                       151                407
         Income tax benefit from exercise of
          stock options                                  -             (1,041)
         Deferred income tax benefit                  (402)              (175)
    Change in operating assets and liabilities:
      Decrease (increase) in:
         Accounts receivable, net                   (7,146)            (7,409)
         Inventories                                 1,601            (10,169)
         Prepaid expenses and other current assets  (2,117)              (302)
      Increase (decrease) in:
         Accounts payable and accrued liabilities     (537)              (772)
         Income taxes payable                          666                924
         Customer deposits                             345               (187)
         Unearned service revenues                   2,527                833

            Net cash used in operating activities    2,722             (7,448)

    INVESTING ACTIVITIES:
      Acquisition of iQvolution                        -               (6,385)
      Purchases of property and equipment           (2,680)            (2,936)
      Payments for intangible assets                  (714)              (174)
      Purchases of short-term investments              -               (3,300)
      Proceeds from short-term investments             700             14,795

            Net cash (used in) provided
             by investing activities                (2,694)             2,000

    FINANCING ACTIVITIES:
      Payments of capital leases                      (146)               (26)
      Proceeds from issuance of stock, net               -                344

            Net cash (used in) provided
             by financing activities                  (146)               318


    EFFECT OF EXCHANGE RATE CHANGES ON
     CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS                        (212)              (268)


    DECREASE IN CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS             (330)            (5,398)

    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, BEGINNING
     OF PERIOD                                       9,278             16,357


    CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS, END OF PERIOD        $8,948            $10,959
SOURCE  FARO Technologies, Inc.
    -0-                             10/30/2006
    /CONTACT:  Keith Bair, Chief Financial Officer of FARO Technologies, Inc.,
+1-407-333-9911/
    /Web site:  http://www.faro.com/
    (FARO)

CO:  FARO Technologies, Inc.
ST:  Florida
IN:  MAC CPR STW
SU:  ERN ERP

CF-MM
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1680 10/30/2006 17:19 EST http://www.prnewswire.com
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding FARO Technologies Inc's business which are not historical facts are "forward-looking statements" that involve risks and uncertainties. For a discussion of such risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see "Risk Factors" in the Company's Annual Report or Form 10-K for the most recently ended fiscal year.